Here is real black magic.
Those posts on Instagram of @folkloresg's #trending "Sambal Buak Keluak Fried Rice"? Well, this bewitching paste in deepest shade of midnight is its ground zero.
Since young, I have always preferred a plate (or two) of plain white rice to go with the rich flavours of my grandma's Peranakan dishes. I feel that all the effort that'd gone into the making in order to achieve the distinctive taste of each dish, should be appreciated by savouring it in its full glory. And white rice is the best blank canvas.
The point of my spiel (yes, there's one) is THIS Sambal Buak Keluak ($22++) is a damn good dish to order! Don't question the price because the amount of work to push out just one bowl is unbelievable. Go ask any Peranakan bibik.
So the way I like to eat is to rotate between different dishes. Once every minute or so, I'm back to spoon on this mildly spicy, velvety pitch black paste to mix with my rice. Then I take my time to savour it because that's the way to do ambrosia justice.